photo of kyle wong with his team's senior project

Kyle Wong – Class of 2022

In his own words – interviewed Spring Quarter 2022

  • Hometown: San Jose, CA
  • Year: Senior
  • Favorite Course: Mobile Application Development (CMPSC 184)
  • Senior Project: Spot On - an intelligent parking sensor system powered by edge computing and image recognition
  • Student Organization Memberships: Coders SB
  • Last Book Read: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Interesting aside about you: I’m 2% Finnish.

Kyle’s Favorite

  • Hobbies: Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Guitar, Locksport, Rainbow Six Siege
  • Band / Performer: Mac Ayres
  • TV Show: Peaky Blinders
  • Activity: Eating
  • Sport: Soccer
  • Geeky Possession: Collection of fidget toys

Favorite things about

  • CE Program: My favorite part about the CE program is that it allows us to explore a wide breadth of topics related to computer software and hardware. I also love the fact that we can choose which topics to focus on in upper-division electives.
  • UCSB: My favorite part about UCSB is the people. Most people here are friendly and laid-back, and the UCSB student community is definitely more collaborative than competitive.
  • Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara is the most beautiful location I have ever lived in. The weather is top-tier, the sunsets are picture-perfect, and living here almost feels like a year-round vacation.

 

Kyle and Computer Engineering

Why CE as a major? I chose CE as a major because I liked software engineering but was also curious about the interface between hardware and software. Studying CE allowed me to satisfy my curiosity and build a strong fundamental understanding while allowing me to establish the specific areas that were more interesting to me.

Why did you select UCSB's CE program? UCSB’s CE program was an attractive option to me because of the many available research opportunities, the impressive reputation, and the 5-year BS/MS program, which allows engineering students to pursue and complete both a BS and MS degree within 5 years of study.

How did you hear about UCSB's CE program? I first found out about UCSB’s CE program when researching relevant majors offered by UCSB. I was intrigued by the curriculum, which provides students with skills and knowledge in both software and hardware engineering.

Prospective students and parents often ask, what can you do with a CE degree? I believe CE is one of the most flexible and practical majors. The CE curriculum provides students with fundamental skills and knowledge in both software and hardware, and really, the potential applications are limitless. Many of my fellow CE classmates have gotten internships and job offers at top-tier tech companies, some are pursuing further education in graduate programs across the nation, and still others are looking to become entrepreneurs and start their own companies.

The Curriculum

What has your experience been like taking the Math and Physics core classes? The Math and Physics core classes felt like extensions of what I studied in high school. They were challenging, but not overly so. To best prepare for these courses, I would advise any prospective students to take AP courses in calculus and physics.

What has been your most challenging but rewarding course? Data Structures and Algorithms II (CMPSC 130B) was probably the most challenging course I have taken. It was a deep dive into various algorithms used for solving coding problems. The most difficult part of the coursework for me was proving the correctness of algorithms. I managed to do well in the course by frequently attending TA office hours and asking questions about things that I struggled to understand. The course proved rewarding because many of the concepts we learned are crucial for solving coding problems presented during job interviews.

Talk about your Capstone ECE 189ABC experience so far: My capstone project is Spot On, a parking sensor system powered by edge computing and ML image recognition. It has been really cool to apply things that I have learned over the past few years and work with a group of friends to develop a cohesive project with the complexity of a real commercial product.

Have you done an internship? In the summer after my junior year, I was a Software Development Engineer intern at Amazon. I worked on a new AWS offering called Glue Databrew that allows machine learning engineers and data analysts to easily preprocess data using a visual interface. It was an insightful experience that allowed me to design and implement features that were actually deployed for real users to work with. Internships are a big boost to any CE major’s resume, and I would advise underclassmen and prospective students to gain as much industry experience as possible and to apply to as many internships as they can.

Have you had any on-campus research opportunities at UCSB? In my junior year, I got involved in research by cold emailing a professor and expressing my interest in joining his neuroscience research lab. He gave me an independent project that involved using machine learning to denoise brain imaging data. It was cool to be able to apply what I was learning in my classes in a seemingly unrelated area, and although I realized that research isn’t what I want to do, I learned a lot of new skills and was able to augment what I was learning in class with real-world experience.

Preparation from High School to College

What prepared you the most for studying engineering in college? I think taking AP Calculus and a computer science class at my local community college were really helpful in preparing me to jump right into my classes at UCSB. Having a solid math background as well as some software or hardware engineering experience is a big boon for any incoming student.

Are there any classes that you suggest CE students take before entering UCSB? Ideally, a CE student entering UCSB should have some coding experience. This could be from a formal classroom course like AP Computer Science or some online course that teaches the fundamentals of coding. AP classes in STEM subjects are also helpful to take because they help build up the math and analytical skills needed as a CE major.

Any additional experiences that you would like to share with students to help them prepare for college? I think something incoming students should keep in mind is that college courses may not exhaustively provide you with all the potential skills that you will need in whatever area you choose to specialize in. It’s important to be able to quickly learn the skills necessary for any given job. The best way that I have found to develop this ability is by working on side projects. Side projects can be done by yourself, with a group of friends, or even as part of a club or some other organization. They are a great way to apply things you’ve learned in classes and to pick up new skills along the way, and they allow you to work on things that you are actually interested in and passionate about.

Student Life at UCSB

What is campus life like for CE students? Campus life really varies from person to person. CE students have the benefit of smaller class sizes, which lets you see many of the same people repeatedly and allows making friendships with your classmates a lot easier. There are many engineering-related student organizations that allow CE students to mingle with other engineering students and work on interdisciplinary projects. Even with the above-average coursework that CE students will have to take on, I think many students will be surprised by how much free time is available for hobbies, hanging out with friends, or whatever other activities they want to engage in. In the end, campus life is really what you make of it.

What is the social scene like on campus, in Isla Vista and off-campus like for CE students? UCSB is well known for its social scene. There is no shortage of events and social activities in Isla Vista and the general Santa Barbara area, and if you want to participate, it is incredibly accessible. Like many other things in college, it’s what you make of it.

Describe your housing experience frosh to present: I lived in Manzanita Village during my freshman and sophomore years. The buildings and facilities were modern and well-kept, and although it wasn’t as close to the center of campus as the freshmen dorms, it was still nice that everything was pretty accessible. After living at home for the entirety of my junior year, I moved off campus to Tropicana Villas, an apartment complex for upperclassmen from UCSB and SBCC. Trop Villas is a great place to live because it is pretty close to the center of Isla Vista and it isn’t too far from campus.

After Graduation

What are your “big picture” plans/aspirations after graduation? I’m going to be pursuing an MS degree in computer science after my senior year as part of the ECE BS/MS program. As of now, I’m interested in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and I’m planning to focus on these areas. Once I finish my master’s degree, I plan to work as a software engineer.